PART II
Planning Processes

Part II presents the initial planning needed to run effective maintenance. The following diagram shows the steps for successfully starting system maintenance. The basic deliverable is a signed Service Level Agreement (SLA) that defines what maintenance services will be performed and under what conditions. The SLA is recommended if you are an external service provider or organization embedded within the business.

The second basic deliverable is the transition plan, which should spell out the steps needed to get your team fully supporting what it committed itself to support in the SLA. This plan should start with an inventory of the skills your team members will need to possess in order to implement and monitor quality metrics found in the SLA.

To complete the planning phase, you will have to perform the tasks shown in the table.

Note: The three gray boxes in the preceding table are not addressed in this part but are addressed in later parts. They are elements of the onetime planning phase, but since they are addressed later in the book, the material will not be repeated in this part.

Chapter 4: Scope of Maintenance

Provides a detailed process flow graphic of everything a maintenance team performs and delivers along with the task interactions; then explains each task and deliverable, giving the reader a useful high-level view of the entire scope of maintenance.

Chapter 5: Service Level Agreement

Presents how standard project scope documents (project charter, scope statements) do not work for maintenance, but how modifying these documents into a Service Level Agreement will work. Presents the purpose, what to include, and an example of a Service Level Agreement.

Chapter 6: Service Breakdown Structure

Provides a further breakdown of the activities that maintenance delivers beyond what is spelled out in the Service Level Agreement. The classic project management Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) format is modified to achieve this breakdown. This modification provides a useful checklist for a new manager or a refresher for an experienced manager.

Chapter 7: Cost Estimate

Provides multiple methods of estimating the annual cost and number of team members needed to provide the maintenance service.

Chapter 8: Transition Planning

Provides a sample transition plan that can be used as a checklist to make sure all aspects of the transition are properly handled. This planning can also be used for outsourcing to a service provider.

Chapter 9: Documentation

Asserts that useful maintenance documents are an effective risk mitigation tool that addresses delivery quality, consistent delivery of services, missed customer expectations, loss of expertise, and development of backup personnel. Presents three key documents and their outlines.